Brixton news, rumours and general chat: Summer - Autumn 2018

[Gramsci]

I was interested to see ..
"London’s biggest affordable workspace now open in Brixton

International House, formerly Lambeth Council offices by Brixton Police Station, has re-opened as London’s largest affordable workspace"

Given the apparent scale of it, I do wonder what this might mean for other sites around the town centre in that same startup/incubator game. I presume more local employment is a good thing though we don't even have a job centre now and nationally the country is effectively at full employment. Did cause me to think about the site's potential for housing - conversion costs would be high, office space isn't popular as a temp housing solution .. any thoughts?

Love Lambeth

For information International House is part of the Brixton Rec site. Designed and built at same time. Heritage England gave the Brixton Rec Grade two listing. International House was not listed.

The present use of International House is , at this time, temporary whilst Lambeth council property developers regeneration officers have decided to do with the site. Despite Grade two listing the Rec long term future isn't guaranteed.

 

[editor]

And here is what you say about an example of someone who has:




In post 1303

Not exactly complimentary.

I'm not even sure what point it is he's trying to make. It's a well known fact that people from poorer areas are less likely to get into higher education, and it would seem that the bridge design process echoed that exclusion.

The gap between rich and poor students being granted university places has reached a record high, latest Ucas figures show, prompting fresh concerns over the “shameful” lack of social mobility within education.

Students who received free school meals – a long-time indicator of poverty – are less than half as likely to enter higher education than their more affluent peers.


Despite recent government efforts to improve access to education for disadvantaged young people, the gap between those being offered university places is now the widest ever recorded – a difference of 16.7 percentage points...

But while the number of students from more affluent backgrounds has climbed steadily, places offered to those from the poorest percentile have stalled in the past year.

The sudden halt in numbers follows a decision made by the Tory government last year to scrap student maintenance grants for pupils from lower income families.

Record gap between rich and poor students going to university

 

[The Fornicator]

Tricky Skills, firstly, thanks for that context. My initial response is to remember a national fast-moving housing context, and even the national political uncertainty (which may see a new PM in days, or not. Or a radical gov, or not). Given that, I'm almsot relived to hear LBL are looking at the short term opportunites and at regaining full control of the land.

I take you point that it's not great space for this purpose, but it is of course not great space for anything except open floor admin.

Given where we are with 20.5k on the housing list it gives me some hope - esp. as i look at the private development where Brixton Cycles used to be. I almost don't care if/what they spent on the head lease. Good info though. Thanks.

 

[Gramsci]

Tricky Skills, firstly, thanks for that context. My initial response is to remember a national fast-moving housing context, and even the national political uncertainty (which may see a new PM in days, or not. Or a radical gov, or not). Given that, I'm almsot relived to hear LBL are looking at the short term opportunites and at regaining full control of the land.

I take you point that it's not great space for this purpose, but it is of course not great space for anything except open floor admin.

Given where we are with 20.5k on the housing list it gives me some hope - esp. as i look at the private development where Brixton Cycles used to be. I almost don't care if/what they spent on the head lease. Good info though. Thanks.

Turning International House into meanwhile space is pragmatic.

Council own a lot of land on this site. Pop, the Rec and International House. A large site. Pop has been given new lease.

Council are regaining full control of this large site in order to have time to dream up new plans for "regeneration".

I still think there is possibility of large scale "regeneration" project on this site. Which is likely to mean Council "partnering " with a developer/ consortium.

If not Council will dispose of International House for demolition and sale to property developer.

 

[The Fornicator]

Do you know how long Pop has left from now?

 

[Gramsci]

Do you know how long Pop has left from now?

Lambeth Council extends Pop Brixton lease for two years as business park fails to deliver any profit

 

[editor]

Do you know how long Pop has left from now?

Probably until all its debtors have been paid off. So maybe some time in 2022. It's been a total financial disaster.

 

[The Fornicator]

Hmm, extended to the end of 2020. You could almost think there's an attempt to bide time but also line up some large ducks.

 

[Tricky Skills]

Hmm, extended to the end of 2020. You could almost think there's an attempt to bide time but also line up some large ducks.

Nope, as editor mentioned it's simply so that Makeshift - the company behind the loss making Pop Brixton - can pay off the debts. The project has been a financial disaster for Makeshift and the Council from day one. Not a single penny has been paid to the Council as part of the 50/50 'profit' (ha!) share scheme.

Too much political capital has been invested in Pop by the Progress Cabinet. Both sides have been brilliant with the PR. Ask them about the finances. They start to squirm.

Pop will stay on that site until the debts have somehow been paid off or quietly written off.

 

[aka]

Pop will stay on that site until the debts have somehow been paid off or quietly written off.

It will be gone at the end of the licence extension. As for finances, turns out box parks are expensive to run what with pesky Health and Safety and seasons and things. I have seen no evidence yet that Lambeth Council have underwritten any debt of the venture, so any ‘writing off’ would be done by someone else. Anyone who has that detail should post it up, cos that would be news.

 

[editor]

As for finances, turns out box parks are expensive to run what with pesky Health and Safety and seasons and things.

Have they all lost as much money as Pop then?

 

[CH1]

I was interested to see ..
"London’s biggest affordable workspace now open in Brixton

International House, formerly Lambeth Council offices by Brixton Police Station, has re-opened as London’s largest affordable workspace"

Given the apparent scale of it, I do wonder what this might mean for other sites around the town centre in that same startup/incubator game. I presume more local employment is a good thing though we don't even have a job centre now and nationally the country is effectively at full employment. Did cause me to think about the site's potential for housing - conversion costs would be high, office space isn't popular as a temp housing solution .. any thoughts?

Love Lambeth

Funnily enough use as a hotel would seem to be one idea that hasn't been floated recently and would naturally blend with the council's baby - the rampant Brixton entertainment sector.
Don't tell Sleepless Brixton though.

 

[editor]

The Scribes were bloody brilliant on Friday night at the Effra Social

In photos: hip hop heroes The Scribes rip it up at the Effra Social, Brixton, Fri 12th Oct 2018

 

[aka]

Have they all lost as much money as Pop then?

some will, some won't. the Croydon park cost over £3m to build, but benefits from being part of a group who know what they are doing and now have scale and longer timescales. Investors in Pop must be agitating behind the scenes to get another extension to try to get some money back.

 

[editor]

some will, some won't. the Croydon park cost over £3m to build, but benefits from being part of a group who know what they are doing and now have scale and longer timescales. Investors in Pop must be agitating behind the scenes to get another extension to try to get some money back.

Well, they've been gifted Peckham Levels based on their, err, enormous success at Pop.

 

[alcopop]

Well, they've been gifted Peckham Levels based on their, err, enormous success at Pop.

They got it for free??!!??

 

[The Fornicator]

Obv. in Southwark, also another 5-year project.

 

[The Fornicator]

Well, they've been gifted Peckham Levels based on their, err, enormous success at Pop.

Have you read the Impact Study of Pop, would be interesting to see these 'highlights' in fuller context?

http://love.lambeth.gov.uk/pop-extension/

 

[discobastard]

And here is what you say about an example of someone who has:




In post 1303

Not exactly complimentary.

Not exactly sure why those views should be mutually exclusive.

 

[editor]

Have you read the Impact Study of Pop, would be interesting to see these 'highlights' in fuller context?

Love Lambeth

That's one large slice of PR fluff that doesn't even mention the immense losses the rent-free site has racked up since its inception.

 

[editor]

They got it for free??!!??

'Gifted' (as in "awarded") the contract despite their lamentable record at Pop.

And they've got same team on board too, including the Mayfair property developers, The Collective.

The project is a collaboration between Carl Turner Architects and The Collective. It is being backed by Make Shift and Southwark Council.

Carl Turner’s Peckham car park conversion given green light

 

[The Fornicator]

That's one large slice of PR fluff that doesn't even mention the immense losses the rent-free site has racked up since its inception.

You have a lot of views, have you read the Impact Study?

 

[editor]

You have a lot of views, have you rad the Impact Study?

Have you read all of the posts in the Pop Brixton thread here and the articles on Brixton Buzz? I have. Perhaps you should too.

 

[The Fornicator]

If you think Brixton Buzz contains "articles" and a legally required Impact Study is "PR fluff" you can assume I have disengaged. I'll leave you to wallow in your prejudices.

 

[editor]

If you think Brixton Buzz contains "articles" and a legally required Impact Study is "PR fluff" you can assume I have disengaged. I'll leave you to wallow in your prejudices.

Great stuff.

 

[Tricky Skills]

The empirical conclusions drawn from the Pop Brixton Evaluation report came from a sample group covering:

Pop Brixton tenants and also businesses in the surrounding area, a survey of Pop Brixton visitors, consultation with those involved in the set up and operation of Pop Brixton, and consultation with a number of wider town centre stakeholders.

Which means that if you are a local resident who doesn't fit the demographic of the Nu Brixton of Pop then your views haven't been represented in the study. That's an incredibly narrow group in which to sample for a community space. Only Sixty-eight people were questioned in total.

The financial analysis of the report covers only a nine month period. It leaves out January to March, the quietest time of the year for footfall. The reality is that the financial figures quoted are likely to be even more dire than those given in the report.

It is interesting that EBITA has been used as the financial system for accounting. This means that the 'profit' quoted doesn't take into account the staggering £1.8M building costs of Pop.

What the figures in the report do show is that the only stable income is rental income. This doesn't inspire confidence in paying off the existing debts as the clock counts down on the lease extension.

If the current figures remain stable then it will take four years to pay off the existing debt. This assumes that no new debt has been acquired since the last loss-making accounts were filed.

It is no surprise that the report likes to judge 'success' at Pop in terms of social capital. The whole container park reeks of the Third Way bollocks so beloved by our Progress Cabinet.

Finally there is no mention in the evaluation report about the cost involved in the mediation bought in by the Council after Carl Turner tried to take over the project and kick out the Edible Bus Stop partners. Any evaluation of the project that doesn't take this into account isn't being entirely honest.

 

[aka]

It is interesting that EBITA has been used as the financial system for accounting

[/QUOTE]
Standard stuff, not in the least interesting. Much like accounting itself.

 

[Gramsci]

If you think Brixton Buzz contains "articles" and a legally required Impact Study is "PR fluff" you can assume I have disengaged. I'll leave you to wallow in your prejudices.

Have you read all the impact study?

 

[The Fornicator]

Why would I, I've put up a post on here about International House? Pop seems a tangent.

Seems to me a FOI for the Impact Study would be the way to go in order to form a meaningful view on Pop.

 

[Gramsci]

Not exactly sure why those views should be mutually exclusive.

Here is what you said in post 1316 to the Ed:

I think in saying this you are insulting people on lower incomes who have worked very hard to achieve degrees. And beyond.

So dismissing a local who has worked hard , got a degree and is trying to put something back as just "wank" comes across as the same as what you say the Ed is doing.

Under what you have posted about the artwork the same accusation of invective can be applied to you.